Anchor Charts: Who develops them and what is their purpose?

Anchor Charts are a fun, colorful and enjoyable way for students to remember information. With Anchor charts, students are able to share their ideas and their way of learning in a place that can be viewed daily; the classroom.

Anchor charts can be developed during whole group or small group lessons. Students create these charts with the teachers help. As my class develops our anchor charts, I have nothing prepared for the students so we co-create them. Our anchor charts are created around one main idea. Anchor charts can be created for any purpose and in any subject matter.

After anchor charts are created they are "anchored" around the room. These visuals act as a reminder to the students of the things they have learned. Students are able to reference them whenever they need. Anchor charts are an on-going learning exercise, and are developed on students levels.

Math Anchor Charts

Ways to add and subtract:
As a class we think of all the ways we have learned to add and subtract. As we review them we create the anchor chart. Students help draw the pictures and help with the spelling. This allows the anchor chart to be on their learning level and to their understanding. This anchor chart is placed in the room for all students to see and to use whenever they need a reminder.

These Money Bubble Maps act as anchor charts for students to remember the value and the differences between coins. Students explore each coin and find differences in them. As a class we create these charts as a reference for identification and value. Students needed help identifying whose face was on each coin. Students are able to see three different ways that the amounts can be shown. I have found this anchor chart to be the most useful to my students. 

Reading Anchor Charts



This anchor chart was developed to help students learn and remember what  -er, -ir, and -ur say. Since these letters all form the same sound we grouped them in the same chart. Students first had to predict what these sounds say. Students then needed to think of words that fit into the -er, -ir, -ur category.

Students laugh at the pictures but they are remembering the sound those letters say.

This anchor chart was developed when we introduced -ng and     -nk words. Students first had cards with  -ng and -nk words on them. Students needed to read the cards and decide what the rule was about those cards. Once students told me the sounds those letters make when they are together we created our anchor chart.

Students helped sound out the words and decided on the pictures. To help my ESOL students, we created hand actions and movements for some of the words. This activitiy also helped enhance students vocabulary.

One of my favorite anchor charts for reading is one created for contractions. My students have had the hardest time understanding what contractions are, how contractions change and when or where to add the apostrophe. This activity was highly engaging and caught my students attention. We started by identifying what a contraction was. Next I wrote the two words and asked the students to make the word shorter, creating a contraction. I used the yellow "cross out tap" (post-it tape) to cover the parts of the word that will be replaced with a contraction. I could see the AH-HA light turning on in all of my students minds. We worked as a class to create this and students took turns using the "cross out tape".


Writing Anchor Charts

 

Students created Wanda Writer and Willy Writes to help them think of things to write about. Wanda and Willy are filled with ideas that students thought would be fun, and interesting to write about; playing with friends, being a knight, living with dragons, playing hide-n- seek. These anchor charts hang around the room and are referenced when students are stuck on writing ideas. Students will ask to add new topics to Wanda and Willy, some students have created their own Willy and Wanda in their notebooks so they have personal references as well as the charts.

With the new Common Core Standards, writing will become a big focus, students need to start writing more and understanding why we write. This anchor cart was based off of one I saw on Pinterest. Students were asked to explain why they write stories. As expected the first response was "because you tell us to." After prompting the students and asking questions we are able to create this anchor chart.This helps students remember why we write and different forms of writing.

Tied in with this chart we created an I Spy Writing Tips chart. Students use this to make sure they are using the writing skills we have worked on. Students can play I Spy on with there writing paper or when reading their work to a partner. As I read and look over students writing, I remind students to look at their I Spy Writing tips for things that need to be fixed. This provides the students with accountability for their work. Students are now responsible for their corrections during writing.

Since my classroom is high in ESOL students I have taken many vocabulary strategies and created anchor charts from the Words Their Way book our school has adopted.

To introduce new vocabulary we ask stududents prompting quesitons. What places have you seen this word? What sounds does it make you think of? What smells do you asociate with it? What feelings and what occasions would you see this word?  Asking these questions and taping into all of the students senses helps them create a deeper understanding of new vocabulary words.

Once again the students ideas are the answers, sometimes they may not make sense to the teacher; but if it is a connection and an association to that students, it belongs on the anchor chart.

This anchor chart is always changing based off the new vocabulary students are learning.  

Most of the Anchor charts in my classroom I have developed on my own, others I have gotten from outside resources; Pinterest  and The First Grade Parade blog have given me many good ideas for anchor charts.